Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:reading history books is what made me an atheist.

LOL! If you're 12:39, you have reading comprehension problems.

Am not 12:39 but if you're 7:28 you have trouble keeping your word.

Anonymous wrote:reading history books is what made me an atheist.

LOL! If you're 12:39, you have reading comprehension problems.

reading history books is what made me an atheist.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I just popped onto the Religion forum, although normally I try to stay away. You guys haven't changed a bit.

The usual anti-religion snark fails that are lame, boring and unfunny. Bigots bashing the Catholics (I'm not Catholic FWIW).

You people need to get a life. I have a life so I'm going away again -- see you in another few months. Hope a lightning bolt of maturity (deus ex machina? or not?) strikes you and makes your sad little lives better.

Have a wonderful life and please don't worry about the "sad" lives being played out here, without the bolt of maturity that you think you've received. We're doing fine without you.

No, you're not doing fine, judging by the number of you who spend your days writing lame retorts on an anonymous chat board. [b]Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.[b]

that goes for you, too, pp -- you're on this message board, too. and that's one of the lamest retorts Ive ever heard.

Pat yourself on the back for your incredible creativity and facility with words. Now go outside and play. Or maybe read Dante, if that was your ignorant post above.

still here, eh? Just can't stay away from this fascinating thread.

Hey, I like history and literature. I happen to know more about them than you, obviously, and it's never a waste of time to do some good by stamping out ignorance.

Take your own advice: Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.

Because books and history are a waste of time? Uh, OK, I guess that's true for you.

But, talking to an ill-educated and uncreative troll like you is indeed a waste of time. That's the reason I'm leaving. Buh bye!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I just popped onto the Religion forum, although normally I try to stay away. You guys haven't changed a bit.

The usual anti-religion snark fails that are lame, boring and unfunny. Bigots bashing the Catholics (I'm not Catholic FWIW).

You people need to get a life. I have a life so I'm going away again -- see you in another few months. Hope a lightning bolt of maturity (deus ex machina? or not?) strikes you and makes your sad little lives better.

Have a wonderful life and please don't worry about the "sad" lives being played out here, without the bolt of maturity that you think you've received. We're doing fine without you.

No, you're not doing fine, judging by the number of you who spend your days writing lame retorts on an anonymous chat board. [b]Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.[b]

that goes for you, too, pp -- you're on this message board, too. and that's one of the lamest retorts Ive ever heard.

Pat yourself on the back for your incredible creativity and facility with words. Now go outside and play. Or maybe read Dante, if that was your ignorant post above.

still here, eh? Just can't stay away from this fascinating thread.

Hey, I like history and literature. I happen to know more about them than you, obviously, and it's never a waste of time to do some good by stamping out ignorance.

Take your own advice: Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I just popped onto the Religion forum, although normally I try to stay away. You guys haven't changed a bit.

The usual anti-religion snark fails that are lame, boring and unfunny. Bigots bashing the Catholics (I'm not Catholic FWIW).

You people need to get a life. I have a life so I'm going away again -- see you in another few months. Hope a lightning bolt of maturity (deus ex machina? or not?) strikes you and makes your sad little lives better.

Have a wonderful life and please don't worry about the "sad" lives being played out here, without the bolt of maturity that you think you've received. We're doing fine without you.

No, you're not doing fine, judging by the number of you who spend your days writing lame retorts on an anonymous chat board. [b]Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.[b]

that goes for you, too, pp -- you're on this message board, too. and that's one of the lamest retorts Ive ever heard.

Pat yourself on the back for your incredible creativity and facility with words. Now go outside and play. Or maybe read Dante, if that was your ignorant post above.

still here, eh? Just can't stay away from this fascinating thread.

Hey, I like history and literature. I happen to know more about them than you, obviously, and it's never a waste of time to do some good by stamping out ignorance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I just popped onto the Religion forum, although normally I try to stay away. You guys haven't changed a bit.

The usual anti-religion snark fails that are lame, boring and unfunny. Bigots bashing the Catholics (I'm not Catholic FWIW).

You people need to get a life. I have a life so I'm going away again -- see you in another few months. Hope a lightning bolt of maturity (deus ex machina? or not?) strikes you and makes your sad little lives better.

Have a wonderful life and please don't worry about the "sad" lives being played out here, without the bolt of maturity that you think you've received. We're doing fine without you.

No, you're not doing fine, judging by the number of you who spend your days writing lame retorts on an anonymous chat board. [b]Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.[b]

that goes for you, too, pp -- you're on this message board, too. and that's one of the lamest retorts Ive ever heard.

Pat yourself on the back for your incredible creativity and facility with words. Now go outside and play. Or maybe read Dante, if that was your ignorant post above.

still here, eh? Just can't stay away from this fascinating thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I just popped onto the Religion forum, although normally I try to stay away. You guys haven't changed a bit.

The usual anti-religion snark fails that are lame, boring and unfunny. Bigots bashing the Catholics (I'm not Catholic FWIW).

You people need to get a life. I have a life so I'm going away again -- see you in another few months. Hope a lightning bolt of maturity (deus ex machina? or not?) strikes you and makes your sad little lives better.

Have a wonderful life and please don't worry about the "sad" lives being played out here, without the bolt of maturity that you think you've received. We're doing fine without you.

No, you're not doing fine, judging by the number of you who spend your days writing lame retorts on an anonymous chat board. [b]Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.[b]

that goes for you, too, pp -- you're on this message board, too. and that's one of the lamest retorts Ive ever heard.

Pat yourself on the back for your incredible creativity and facility with words. Now go outside and play. Or maybe read Dante, if that was your ignorant post above.

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, indeed! Many of the practices started as money-makers for the monasteries. And it gave the Catholic Church more power over the citizenry. A lot of the practices started during and after each plague (1330 - 17th century). In the 1330-1337 plague more than 1/3 of Europe's population died (25 million). The Catholic Church created a number of its practices during those years because the populace was desperate for any cure and would pay for anything. The image of Hell created by Dante's Inferno (1331) was also used by the C. Church to frighten the congregations into paying indulgences for the dying and the dead. The practice of paying for Masses continues to this day.

Have you read The Inferno? I don't mean Dan Brown's novel. Dante actually goes after many of the popes of the era, by name, and subjects them to creative punishments. I think he had one pope upside down in a pot, but I could be remembering wrong. The Vatican played a role in exiling him from his beloved Florence. Your argument that the Catholic Church waved the Inferno around as an excuse to start charging for burying the plague dead also doesn't hold water for a second reason, that lots of the plague dead were dumped in mass graves without expensive ceremonies. Dante's images of Hell certainly crept into peoples' imaginations and inspired revived/different type religiosity. You could argue that the Church started charging for various things to pay for building St. Peters, and many historians have made this argument, also there's a good book on the subject (probably more books on the subject, but I've only read the one).

This is one of the perils of cutting and pasting from hysterial atheist websites. No, I'm not Catholic, but I know a thing or two about history and literature.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I just popped onto the Religion forum, although normally I try to stay away. You guys haven't changed a bit.

The usual anti-religion snark fails that are lame, boring and unfunny. Bigots bashing the Catholics (I'm not Catholic FWIW).

You people need to get a life. I have a life so I'm going away again -- see you in another few months. Hope a lightning bolt of maturity (deus ex machina? or not?) strikes you and makes your sad little lives better.

Have a wonderful life and please don't worry about the "sad" lives being played out here, without the bolt of maturity that you think you've received. We're doing fine without you.

No, you're not doing fine, judging by the number of you who spend your days writing lame retorts on an anonymous chat board. [b]Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.[b]

that goes for you, too, pp -- you're on this message board, too. and that's one of the lamest retorts Ive ever heard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As humans, the greatest sacrifice one can make is to lay down one's life for another. For Catholics, the crucifix is a constant reminder that Jesus made that sacrifice for all of mankind.

On a personal note, for me it's incredibly humbling (the sacrifice), comforting (the love) and joyful (the hope) all at once.

Jesus is not the only human being who lay down his life for others -- and most of the rest of them are forgotten -- and they die forever - no resurrection or bodily ascension into heaven or sitting at the right hand of the father for them. If they were catholics who died with a mortal sin on their souls, they'd go straight to hell, no matter the altruism of their death.

Please cite the Catechism where that is described.

I can't cite the where in the Catechism it states it but it is what old line Catholics believed - and also why it was necessary to go to weekly Mass - so if you died that week, you had a chance of going to Purgatory instead of Hell. Of course, daily Mass is even better because then you know you have a better chance of dying in grace. Of course all of this is man-made and not in the Bible which makes me scratch my head about Catholicism.

Many of the Catholic rules are not bible-based. but let's face it, some of the pronouncements in the Bible are outrageous or at least silly and not suitable for any set of useful guidelines for living.

But you have to give the Catholic Church for creating the most rules that it insists on that are the truth that are not in any way bible-related: Celebate priests; priests being the only intercession to God; confession; Saints; the rule that the Saint must have performed two miracles; Mary worship; Limbo; purgatory; paying for masses to get the dead out of purgatory . . . and the list goes on.

Yeah -- the extra biblical stuff has been a real money-maker for the Church

Yes, indeed! Many of the practices started as money-makers for the monasteries. And it gave the Catholic Church more power over the citizenry. A lot of the practices started during and after each plague (1330 - 17th century). In the 1330-1337 plague more than 1/3 of Europe's population died (25 million). The Catholic Church created a number of its practices during those years because the populace was desperate for any cure and would pay for anything. The image of Hell created by Dante's Inferno (1331) was also used by the C. Church to frighten the congregations into paying indulgences for the dying and the dead. The practice of paying for Masses continues to this day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I just popped onto the Religion forum, although normally I try to stay away. You guys haven't changed a bit.

The usual anti-religion snark fails that are lame, boring and unfunny. Bigots bashing the Catholics (I'm not Catholic FWIW).

You people need to get a life. I have a life so I'm going away again -- see you in another few months. Hope a lightning bolt of maturity (deus ex machina? or not?) strikes you and makes your sad little lives better.

Have a wonderful life and please don't worry about the "sad" lives being played out here, without the bolt of maturity that you think you've received. We're doing fine without you.

No, you're not doing fine, judging by the number of you who spend your days writing lame retorts on an anonymous chat board. Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I just popped onto the Religion forum, although normally I try to stay away. You guys haven't changed a bit.

The usual anti-religion snark fails that are lame, boring and unfunny. Bigots bashing the Catholics (I'm not Catholic FWIW).

You people need to get a life. I have a life so I'm going away again -- see you in another few months. Hope a lightning bolt of maturity (deus ex machina? or not?) strikes you and makes your sad little lives better.

Have a wonderful life and please don't worry about the "sad" lives being played out here, without the bolt of maturity that you think you've received. We're doing fine without you.

No, you're not doing fine, judging by the number of you who spend your days writing lame retorts on an anonymous chat board. Go outside and enjoy the weather, find a new hobby that is actually productive, get a pet that will give you love.

My Presbyterian Church is filled with former Catholics. It's easy to leave once you find a good church fit.